get to you before anything could happen.... Do you
understand?"

"Yes," replied Joan.

Red Pearce stirred uneasily. "Jack, I'm thinkin' some rough talk'll come
her way," he said, darkly.

"Will you shut up!" replied Kells in quick passion. He resented some
implication. "I've thought of that. She won't hear what's said to
her.... Here," and he turned again to Joan, "take some cotton--or
anything--and stuff up your ears. Make a good job of it."

Joan went back to her room and, looking about for something with which
to execute Kells's last order, she stripped some soft, woolly bits from
a fleece-lined piece of cloth. With these she essayed to deaden her
hearing. Then she returned. Kells spoke to her, but, though she seemed
dully to hear his voice, she could not distinguish what he said. She
shook her head. With that Kells waved her out upon her strange errand.

Joan brushed against Cleve as she crossed the threshold. What would he
think of this? She would not see his face. When she reached the first
tents she could not resist the desire to look back. Pearce was within
twenty yards of her and Smith about the same distance farther back. Joan
was more curious than anything else. She divined that Kells wanted her
to attract attention, but for what reason she was at a loss to say. It
was significant that he did not intend to let her suffer any indignity
while fulfilling this mysterious mission.

Not until Joan got well down the road toward the Last Nugget did any one
pay any attention to her. A Mexican jabbered at her, showing his white
teeth, flashing his sloe-black eyes. Young miners eyed her curiously,
and some of them spoke. She met all kinds of men along the plank walk,
most of whom passed by, apparently unobserving. She obeyed Kells to the
letter. But for some reason she was unable to explain, when she got to
the row of saloons, where lounging, evil-eyed rowdies accosted her, she
found she had to disobey him, at least in one particular. She walked
faster. Still that did not make her task much easier. It began to be an
ordeal. The farther she got the bolder men grew. Could it have been that
Kells wanted this sort of thing to happen to her? Joan had no idea what
these men meant, but she believed that was because for the time being
she was deaf. Assuredly their looks were not a compliment to any girl.
Joan wanted to hurry now, and she had to force herself to walk at a
reasonable gait. One persistent fellow walked besi